A Glimpse of Glan's Heritage

11:53 PM

In an attempt to feature the century -old, culture-rich places of Glan, Sarangani Province in one Heritage Map, members of GBG Gensan conducted the First Glan GeoWalk last July 26, 2014. This was made possible through the initiative of Glan's very active Tourism Officer in the person of Lodar Escobillo and the participation of volunteer mappers from the Sultan Kudarat State University Extension College and some members of the LGU.

Thank God for the good weather, we were able to explore the Poblacion without having to complain about the striking heat of the sun. I especially loved how those beautifully-aged acacia trees towered over us as we toured around the oldest school in town, Glan Central Elementary School. It's awesome how they were able to take good care of the trees while other cities kept on murdering theirs in exchange for modernization.

Next stop was the seat of Catholic Faith in this part of the town. The Sta Catalina de Alexandria Parish, so we've learned, is the oldest parish to be built in the whole of the SoCCskSargen Area.

c to Pages Flipper

A few more steps led us to the old houses in Glan. We were lucky to have been allowed entry inside the historic house of the late Martin Alegado. Look at the calado-designed facade welcoming us!

A peek inside one of the two Alegado Houses which proudly stands

along the busy E. Alegado Street in Poblacion Glan.

The two houses could definitely make a good Museum

with the help of a little restoration effort .

c to Ariel Lalisan

Albeit some touch of modern construction being used to hold the old buildings from completely falling apart due to nature's wear and tear, one can still distinguish if the structure is old enough to pass as a part of the century-old heritage of Glan. A number of houses within the Poblacion still boasts of stained glass windows and calado embroidered walls. It is just magnificent!

One of Glan's Old Houses: The La Paz Residence,

undergoing restoration in preparation for the upcoming celebration of Glan's Centennial

One's visit to Poblacion Glan will never be complete without a visit to Colony # 9 along the baywalk. Colony # 9 was one of the Agricultural Colonies in Mindanao thru the Colonization Law of Don Sergio Osmena Sr., wherein the Late Don Tranquilino Ruiz of Alegria, Cebu , has been appointed as Superintendent.

These are just some of the historical sites that we were able to visit during our GeoWalk. Volunteer mappers and some locals will still be doing an inventory of these sites for the upcoming release of Glan's Cultural Heritage Map.

If you are willing to be a part of this group, please coordinate with the office of Ms. Lodar Escobillo, the Municipal Tourism Officer of Glan, Sarangani Province.

Glan is celebrating its 100th Founding Anniversary on October 8, 2014.